Community: Message List - Very Disapointed in JTV. Returned mine, should I try another?

Re: Very Disapointed in JTV. Returned mine, should I try another?

support@line6.com — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:23:08 GMT

Thanks, I didn't know this, Ade. I don't have an X3L. I wonder if the jack for the Floor Board on my Flextone II will power the JTV? Of course, then I couldn't use the Floor Board.

Re: Very Disapointed in JTV. Returned mine, should I try another?

support@line6.com — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:18:59 GMT

I always forget about the pro units...

I don't have big requirements for the bass and vocal preamps, so as long as there is an option I should be ok.

I will probably look into it.

Re: Very Disapointed in JTV. Returned mine, should I try another?

support@line6.com — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:06:01 GMT

The HD Pro has the VDI connection as well.

Arguably, the X3L supports bass, vocal, and acoustic better than the HD. However, the HD series includes two Bass amps: the Fender Tweed and the Ampeg FlipTop. It also has one mic/studio preamp for acoustic tones. I have used the Pod HD for vocals and acoustic and it performs very well - it's just that there isn't the number of bass amps and preamps that the X3 has, and there are fewer good presets aimed at that. However, like the HD vs. X3 in general, many people prefer fewer amps of higher quality than more amps of lesser quality. That's certainly the case with bass/acoustic/vocal support in the HD vs. X3.

Re: Very Disapointed in JTV. Returned mine, should I try another?

support@line6.com — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:01:05 GMT

The HD Pro is another current model that has the VDI as well as the HD500. But the HD500 is the only floor-based model.

There is one bass amp model (Ampeg Flip Top) on the HD500, and there is a preamp model (its in the effects section).

Re: Very Disapointed in JTV. Returned mine, should I try another?

support@line6.com — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:54:05 GMT

YirWaffy wrote:

I think the convenience of the HD500 powering the JTV would be reason enough to get it

Some people don't realize this, but the X3L does have a variax connection, and powers the JTV just fine.
I believe the HD500 is the only "current" model POD which sports the variax connection, but the discontinued X3L has it as well.
I use it exclusively to connect my JTV to my X3L.

The one thing, though, you cant do is change the tunnings with the X3L. You have to use the knob on the guitar to do that.

I believe the HD500 is capable of this...

Does the HD500 do bass amp models? I use my X3L to record bass frequently. I dont have a bass amp, or any other method to get a good tone for bass, so this could be a real deal breaker for me.
Also, does it have the preamp models like the X3L? I run my acoustic tones through one of the preamp models...

Re: Very Disapointed in JTV. Returned mine, should I try another?

support@line6.com — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 15:28:41 GMT

Great news, Ade! Glad it worked out for you.

I'm going to take a look at the JTV-89FR that's going to be announced at NAMM this week. I'll likely give one a try. I think the convenience of the HD500 powering the JTV would be reason enough to get it

Re: Very Disapointed in JTV. Returned mine, should I try another?

support@line6.com — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 13:51:10 GMT

adessmith wrote:
. Every one of them have been worthwhile upgrades, and I have no reason to believe the HD500 will be any different.

the 500 is alot different in many ways... i'd certainly encourage you to dig up and evaluate those differences before hand...

there's a few things you give up, and a few things that work radically different....

the variax integration, future support, and sound quality all favor the 500 though... just sayin.... know what you're getting

Re: Very Disapointed in JTV. Returned mine, should I try another?

support@line6.com — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 00:20:06 GMT

Ok, I ended up getting the used 59 and the spider jam amp for $1,000!

I found a hard case for $50, I'm going to order a VDI cable from best-tronics, and I get to pocket the rest of the difference.
Seems to be in perfect shape, Everything is working great.

The Spider Jam amp is a great little practice amp too!

I played for hours last night and I am LOVING it.

The amp has a strange vibration in the cabinet, but I can put pressure in a certian spot and make it go away, so I know its just something loose somewhere and shouldnt be a big deal.

In the end, everything seems to have worked out great. I was able to try out the guitar and make my purchase feeling good about what I was getting.

I have already put my strap locks on it, replaced the tuners with grover rotomatic locking tuners (which were direct drop in replacements), and restrung with my prefered strings.
I played it durring our church service this morning, and it worked out great!

So glad I decided to give the JTV another shot!
Now I just need to decide if I am going to go after the HD500, or stick with my X3L.
I love the X3L.... but I've heard great things about the HD500, and I've never regretted any of my POD upgrades in the past (and I've used 4 different ones). Every one of them have been worthwhile upgrades, and I have no reason to believe the HD500 will be any different.

Re: Very Disapointed in JTV. Returned mine, should I try another?

support@line6.com — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 14:31:47 GMT

Sure, I agree with you. All I was saying is that the neck profiles on the JTV69 and JTV69US are fundamentally the same, and with a proper setup and fretwork, there's no reason the Korean JTV69 should be that different than the US version.

Re: Very Disapointed in JTV. Returned mine, should I try another?

support@line6.com — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 13:30:25 GMT

Given the almost 4:1 difference in price, I expect the US James Tyler guitars undergo much more stringent quality control and setup. Put somewhat differently: If I spent $4k+ on an instrument that played like my JTV-69k out of the box, it would have gone right back to the retailer.

With the MIghty-Mite neck and some judicious setup and tweaking, mine plays like a charm now. I have not had any electronic glitches other than the obviously chronic issues with the model selector knob push-switch. It took about 2 minutes to shim the knob and it's been fine since. I suspect Line-6 had a run of knobs that were slightly out-of-tolerance. Not an earthshaking issue.